ESTATE PLANNING

It is a misconception that Trust planning is reserved only for people and families that have a high net worth. In fact, everyone can benefit from the comprehensive estate planning services that Conway & Pannell specializes in. Our office crafts customized estate plans that meet our clients’ goals and values, and address the risks specific to their specific circumstances. Planning with a properly constructed and funded Revocable Living Trust is the only way to ensure a seamless transition and distribution during your incapacity or death, and to completely avoid costly, court-supervised probate proceedings. By using a trust, you dictate who makes financial decisions for you during incapacity and throughout the administration process. You determine who receives assets, and how best they should be distributed to meet the needs of your beneficiaries, taking into account the needs of each person benefited by your legacy. A properly funded trust avoids the probate process, and saves your family the frustration, time and money otherwise spent on probate proceedings. Thoughtful estate planning provides peace-of-mind for our client families that they will never have to have a court-appointed guardian, that their assets can be easily managed during their short or long-term incapacity, that their children will be cared for by the person(s) they choose, rather than by a court-appointed representative, and that their legacy is left to their beneficiaries in a way that it will be insulated from creditors, predators, and future estate taxes.

ESTATE PLANNING FOR UNMARRIED COUPLES

A couple who considers themselves a family but chooses to forgo that institution, is an unprotected family in terms of estate planning. The institution of marriage provides a number of privileges. The absence of such privileges makes estate planning of utmost importance, and the lack of planning can have dire unintended consequences. Proactive actions must be taken to secure the rights that one partner has regarding the management of the affairs of the other, and to secure their interest in property that their partner wishes them to receive as an inheritance. In addition to incapacity planning, planning for family’s children, tax and distribution planning, unmarried couples must have valid Health Care Powers of Attorney, HIPAA Authorizations and Living Wills in place, so that they can be sure that their loved one is able to make the very important decisions that are necessary after an unexpected health crises, accident or end-of-life situation. Our office offers creative estate planning solutions customized to meet the unique challenges faced by couples who choose not to marry.

Our team also offers more advanced estate planning services include Irrevocable Trust Planning, Family Bank Trusts, Charitable Planning, Foundation and Partnership/LLC Planning. There are numerous strategies that can be implanted based on your family’s individual needs and desires.